Shout Out Your Word and Create Your Year Starting Right Now…

Last year, I overheard a radio talk show. The hosts were discussing the most common New Year’s Resolutions and the average success rates of each one.

The Top Five were: Get Organized, Be More Spiritual, Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, and Spend More time with Family.

I don’t know about you, but this kind of To-Do List approach to life transformation does little to inspire me. And it doesn’t surprise me that the success rates were low.

Why Resolutions Don’t Work

The reason most resolutions don’t work is that they address only one level of your life.

The DO level.

It’s the DO-HAVE-BE model. It goes like this:

“I will DO this thing.” (i.e., Lose weight) “So I can HAVE this other thing” (Self-Esteem) and I can BE this thing. (Confident.)

Starting right now, however, we’re gonna turn that around. We’re going to start at a deeper level:

The “BE” level.

The best order for creating positive change in your life is the BE-DO-HAVE model. This means you start from the BE level. When you begin changing on the BE level of your life, then the DO level and the HAVE level follow effortlessly.

When you start only on the DO level, then the blocks on the BE level will often become the obstacles you can’t overcome.

A Better New Year’s Ritual

Several years ago, my friend Kathy and I decided that, instead of making resolutions, we would pick a word that would guide us throughout the year. It would be our touchstone. It would remind us of living our lives at the BE level.

This didn’t mean that we didn’t take action. It meant that our actions were inspired from the BE level. In fact, I took more action than ever with this new approach!

For two years, I’ve blogged about this inspiring way to begin the year. Now, I regularly hear from people who have created big changes in their lives because they focused on one word. To read some of these stories, check out all the guest blog posts from December. Start here.

How to Create Your Year in Five Easy Steps

1 – Look through the list below.

2 – Get quiet and listen to your Wise Self. (Resist the temptation to choose multiple words. This just splatters your attention.)

3 – Pick a word.

4 – Then shout it out in the comments below so it gets firmly planted in the universe!

5 – Hold that word in your mind throughout the year, and let your word guide you to take action.

For months I was set on selecting “health” as my 2010 Word, because to me, health is fundamental to quality of life. This morning, I saw something, I cried, and realized I must go one step further. That is when I decided on well-being. Defined as: ‘the state of being happy, healthy or prosperous’ I redefined the word to: ‘the state of being happy, healthy AND prosperous’

And with this definitive step taken … my head is swirling and off I go on a new and exciting adventure with my “one word” …………

Christine,
My word for 2009 was serenity. And although I am still struggling sometimes with the concept in day to day situation (I am a seven after all and need action around me), I have managed to find serenity in my overall vision of life.
And I already have my word for 2010. It will be CREATE. After reaching the serenity state of knowing what I want, I will now go and get it. Create as in being creative (painting, taking photos, etc) or as in being creative (setting up my own business, creating the workshop concept so I can sell it, creating the charity etc).
I think I will have to use this word for two years though 🙂
M

Personally I want to feel the freedom of movement. I want to learn to bike, ice-skate and play badminton. I want to feel confident doing those sports and have the freedom of movement required to do them.

Professionally I want to feel the freedom which comes after a job well-done or during a structured creative/working process. When I break things into small steps and achieve little bits and pieces every day I feel free to move on to other parts of my life and enjoy my free time. I want to be free from procrastination and from feeling stuck. I want to enjoy the free time, which comes after doing what I need to do.

I found this post from Marsha’s blog (http://mfisteach.blogspot.com/). It was the first time I had visited her blog and she wrote about this and used the word, “Revival”. That word resonated deep within me. My husband died suddenly a year ago and I really need a revival this year.
But then I decided to go to your post and look over the list (I didn’t want to “steal” Marsha’s!). As I looked at the list, over and and over, trying to find a word that would speak to me, it occurred to me that “my” word wasn’t there ….. in that list. It was all over your post and all over the comments and it finally jumped out at me.

CHOOSE

This year I want to choose many things, especially because this past year has been full of so many things that I had no choice in. I am grieving and I have no choice in that. I also have no choice in how and when and how hard it will hit me.
But there are some things I can choose — or start choosing — or re-choose:

Choose joy, whenever possible.
Choose to look up, while in the darkness, and see a sliver of light.
Choose to try to step outside of my grief, even if only for a moment of two.
Choose to remember how blessed I was to have him in my life …. for as long as he was.
Choose to show my children that this “darkness” will not win. I/we will survive and move forward.

I could go on and on, but I’ll spare you.
But thank you.
So very much.
Janine

– COMPLETE – because I need to either complete or finish with the projects cluttering up my life, and because I hope that clearing the ground and focussing on things I want/need to do will help me feel more complete

and

– ENJOY – to remind me to live in the moment more and enjoy all the wonderful things that are happening around me

I realized that I focus a lot on work and not on FUN, and it is causing my life to be boring and lacking color. So when I was looking through your words, the word FUN picked me and now I am finding myself searching for the fun in different things.

Create!
I used it last year and feel I could use it even more fully this year! I was dealing with a number of new challenges last year and felt creativity was the best response. The word became more expansive with each application and I am very excited to go with the broader, deeper active elements this year.

This is great. I read about this article in Lance’s blog Jungle of Life and before I clicked to come over here I had a word in mind, Serenity. My word is not on the list but I must keep it as it is what rings true for me this year and I believe will bring together many of the goals I have set for my life. Thanks for the inspiring words.

I’ve been fighting it, respect/honor was on my mind, then I was interested in Practice–but its a DO word. but delight made my heart jump when I read the list. I love Joy but its not the same–I need to delight in my kids, delight in my job (and that I have one) and my spouse. Rekindle the delight I used to feel about research (before children distracted me). Plus, I’m starting to see my face settle into frown lines. Not cool.

(as in “Being aware of it, not tolerating it and actively overcoming it — not, as my wife first thought, as in To Become Lazy, which illicited applause from her, saying, “You’ve already acheived your goal!”)

i have several post-its with the word “Laziness” with a red circle around it and a line drawn through it taped to various spots where only i can see it. i found that by not having my word written down where i can see it on a daily basis helped me to forget it over time. this is too important for me this year to allow that to happen.

Abundance is my word again for 2009. Abundance and gratitude for me go hand in hand but you must first recognize the abundance to be grateful for it. Having just finished our major renovation, we’re feeling rather blessed by the space we’ve created and being able to share it with those we love. I want to do much more of the sharing part in 2009 and wish abundance not only for us but for everyone.

Oh my … I am not a blogger .. found Christine’s blog thru a friend’s blog… THANKS KERRI ! Everyone seems to be having so much fun with their “word” while mine feels so serious in comparison. I chose DISCIPLINE. I love my life – I am happy – I am blessed…. but I have NO DISCIPLINE. But check back with me December 31, 2009

RELEASE!!!!!
It took me a while to choose ONE word, but after putting thoughts aside and quieting my mind – this word / feeling resonated with me. Thank you for this suggestion, it a great way to make change.

DISCIPLINE! I just counted my UFO’s and I have 15 going back to 2003. I’m looking at my desk which has papers stacked all over the place…my sewing room is a mess, and I could go on. If I apply DISCIPLINE, I can get a lot done and bring balance into my life. Thanks for the inspiration! I love the idea of a word for the year – thanks so much!

whether to get up and go run or to hit snooze.
whether to put the money in savings or to buy the new boots I don’t really need.
whether to eat the mac and cheese or the tofu and veggie stir fry.
whether to forgive the ex-husband or continue to carry the resentment.
whether to submit the novel to agents or to continue to sit on it and live in fear of rejection.

And so on. I want to make sure I know I’m making those decisions and I think that if I acknowledge I’m actually making a choice in each of those situations, even if that choice is for inaction, that it will lead toward positive action, because saying, “I’m choosing to hold on to resentment” sounds so ugh, really, as does, “I’m choosing new shoes over a European vacation.” Academically, I know I always have a choice, but I want to ingrain it at a deeper level this year and raise my consciousness of that truth of just what I’m creating.

My main word is Self-love. I wanted to share the other words I am still wanting to use. I broke the rules in the best way I know.
Allow self-love with clarity and creativity. Release with effortlessness. Have the courage to trust abundance is there.
This is a great year to be with.

I started with a list of 11 words from your list and narrowed it down to 6. The word which first really called me was FREEDOM! (shouted in my best William Wallace character impersonation). I want to be free from the restrictions and expectations of a society which does not truly support those who live on the fringe.
But to be quite honest all 5 remaining words also speak to me.
Action, because I need to put more of my ideas into motion.
Focus/Discipline (I grouped these together since for me they are almost synonymous) because I need to stop dividing my attentions and instead narrow my efforts into one area.
Willingness, because I need to be willing to allow instead of control.
And of course ABUNDANCE, because I need to get out of my mindset of not having enough..ie believing I cannot have everything I want because my bank acct is too low to justify spending on art supplies or frivolities.

Thought-provoking post. Guess I need to work more on narrowing it down in my journal over the coming days!
Thanks

Awaken possibilities that lead to probabilities.
Awaken that wise person hidden in your doubts.
Awaken that playful child buried under your guilt.
Awaken that attractive person who’s been trapped in the cracked mirror of your comparisons.
Awaken that style that’s yours and yours alone.
Awaken that healthy body that’s really in there.
Awaken that spark you thought you’d lost.
Awaken that silliness that’s given way to responsibilities.
Awaken that passion you thought you’d given away.
Awaken that sleeping giant that may now be your dream come true.
Awaken your commitment to being who you want to be.
It’s time to WAKE UP and smell the coffee (or tea)and be who you want to be.

Last year’s worth TRUTH made me realize that I do, say, eat, move so much in a year, but do it all on auto pilot and miss out on the benefits…or not…of what I am doing. So TRUTH led me this year to MINDFULNESS – be MINDFUL of food and exercise & their effects on my body; be MINDFUL of the clutter in my apt. & clearing out that which is just “clutter;” and money, as in being MINDFUL of needs vs wants in spending!

My word for the year is acceptance. Not only so I don’t get so frustrated with the things I can’t change, like other people’s actions, but also to allow the universe to give me what it offers instead of feeling unworthy or overwhelmed when what I really want just seems to fall into my lap unexpectedly.

My word for 2009 is ALLOW.
Allow me to truly be me and all that entails
Allow my dreams to manifest
Allow my vibration to match my desires
Allow myself to attract love and friendship
Allow myself to connect truly
Allow the good stuff to flow to me because I deserve it!
To practice the Art of Allowing throughout the year
Allow the Universe to conspire on my behalf! :o)
Allow those I love to pursue their own path

I was in an Iyengar yoga class trying to hang upside down on a chair. This sort of thing was effortless for me as a child. This asana was taking a lot of work & effort on my part. In the middle of the pose it dawned on me that I am having some major issues w/ trust and that things don’t need to be so hard & difficult. So, two words for me this year and they can be used individually or in conjunction.

HAPPINESS!!!
November 11, 2006 my world turned to darkness my husband of 4 years was killed in a work accident. I have benn sad and lonely, spending days in tears and only seeing pitch black. I have had passing moments of being happy or joyful always returning to the gloom. After two years I can see this pin of light in the black My word for 2009 is happiness.

picking the right word was hard—but I choose Savor. I thought about using a symbol or line as inspiration. Savor means not rushing through life, not hurrying to get to the next thing but looking, touching, feeling, and incorporating the experience and let it percolate there until it comes out in art.

Responsibility. Reading through your list, Power was a word that resonated for me. I was reminded that with great power comes great responsibility. Power is something that I would like more of, but recognizing my responsibilities is something that I struggle with. So this year will be about accepting my responsibility in what I put out in the world, and what I choose to accept out of what comes to me. Maybe with greater responsibility will come greater power.

I have spent so much time struggling against what is, and what cannot be changed, trying to ‘fix’ everything and everyone around me.

A few days ago, I thought about last years’ exercise, and the word ‘Acceptance’ popped into my head. Suddenly I realized that by not accepting what is, I’ve not seen situations for what they truly are. And that in some cases, it was time to let things (and people) go.

Last year, my word was ‘creativity’ and I was very successful at bringing photography and writing back into my life. Yesterday, I spent my meditation session asking what my word should be for this year, because I couldn’t decide. Afterwards, I happened upon a blog post talking about ‘awareness’, then this morning I read an article in the Oprah magazine that had been sitting on my counter for three weeks. The topic was ‘awareness’. So I believe the universe has answered my question and this should be my word of the year!
Happy New Year to everyone.

TRUST! Trust in myself, trust in the process, trust in being in the right place at the right time, trust that my vision will manifest in its own way and pace and that I can do my work with good intention and not worry about the outcome.

Thank you Christine — I did this last year and as I review my goals from last year I can’t believe how much change has come about for me in just one year. Last year I needed DISCIPLINE — this year I need COURAGE. Happy New Year!

METTLE! What a great word. I just ordered a necklace with my word…as a daily reminder for me. Thank you for this. I’m off to make my 2009 vision board…(with a focus on my word). What a way to begin a new year. Happy New Year to all!

I’ve chosen INTENT to remind me to know what my intent is for the day, task, conversation, moment; to be clear I have an intent; and to help me focus on the intent.

BOLD is there because I have a great plans for 2009 and it’s going to take boldness to pull some of them off. I also love the quote about going boldly in the direction of ones dreams and how the universe will be there to support you in untold ways never before imagined. I’m paraphrasing (loosely) But that’s the meat of it.

Thanks again, Christine, for the opportunity to move forward one step, one moment at the time! Happy New Year to you and all who pass this way!

I was leaning toward ‘focus’, when all of a sudden ‘strength’ came popping out of nowhere and said “choose me!”. And since my thoughts about strength include focus, I figured this was a good sign. So my word for 2009: STRENGTH!

It chose me two weeks ago and I’ve already made some small strides with it.It began as Willingness and has morphed into willing. The last two years I’ve tried using a word of the year and I guess I just wasn’t ready because I promptly forgot about it. This year I’m willing to make the effort to make the changes I need to in my life.

Balance-step back and use clarity to honor my inner self and feel at one in the here and now. to be fully present to myself.
oh the joy of a new year and a new word. I will carry my 2008 word always and now expand into 2009 with Balance.
thank you Christine for giving us a place to declare our intention

Commitment to love and take care of myself. Commitment to the present tense. Commitment to follow-through. Commitment to do as I wish. Commitment to not let too many little things get in the way of “me.” Commitment to health and prosperity. Commitment to trusting the universe. Commitment to love, friendship, and family. Commitment to truth. Commitment to wonder, and fun, and enthusiastic happiness!

I can’t wait to see how this year unfolds for me. 😀
Happy New Year to you all!

I put so many words into my God Box and decided to let the Universe pick for me. Nice idea but the first 6 words I picked didn’t resonate for me. I decided to do one more, but as I was mixing the papers around, one fell out in front of my legs. I threw down the one that I had chosen and thought, “This one really wants me to see it so I’m going to go with this one, period, end of story.”

ABUNDANCE!!!

And THAT is the word I wanted to pick to begin with but thought, “Oh how cliche!”

I am waffling between delightful (delighted?) discipline and delighted commitment. I figured if I started making my comment here that I would have to decide (with delight, of course!). I love the alliteration of the first, but believe the second one is winning as I type because there are a number of things I am (re)committing to and my delight in all of them gives me the energy to enjoy (see? I still get alliteration, right?). Love and thanks, Christine, and Happy New Year to all!

This word jumped out at me for some reason. A quick definiation check had me picking and choosing the meaning. For me, I am choosing this to mean “tender; merciful”. I am going to have compassion for myself and those around me. The days of being my own worst critic are over! 🙂

I’ve been thinking about this word for some weeks now. I made myself some desktop wallpaper with “abundance” on it (a collage of images, plus the word). I wrote a blog entry about my word of the year. I say the word out loud and in my head several times a day. I like the way it sounds and the way it feels. Abundance. ABUNDANCE!!!

Last year, I sort of stumbled onto the “word of the year” idea quite by accident (long before I found this excellent blog). My word for 2008 was “Happiness”, and I ended up learning quite a lot about how to be happy and, more importantly, how to be joyful and what the difference is.

I’m quite interested to see what I’m going to learn about abundance… 😉